Book Reviews, Mamaishness, Teacherishness

Stella!

Some books in heavy rotation at our house right now are from Marie-Louise Gay‘s Stella series (IndieBound/Amazon). Focused on a very imaginative little girl – and sometimes her younger brother, Sam – these books take place in fairly standard settings, yet contain wonderful adventures.

children's read aloud, books about siblings

The watercolors are incredible in these books, and the illustrations contain little visual treats for the reader. You really feel transported when you read these, even though the situations are familiar. Sam asks a million questions, and Stella answers them as only a big sister can, with a lot of exaggeration and creativity.

Read Me a Story, Stella is probably our favorite so far, with its tromp through nature and hilarious explanations by Stella. The emphasis on outdoor exploration, with zero input from adults, makes this an attractive choice for those of us trying to encourage reasonable independence when playing outside. One of Gay’s strengths as an author (a bilingual author, no less) is that she manages to tell a child’s story from a child’s point of view without being cloying or ridiculous. You really get the sense that she remembers what it was like to be five or six, and in the process of coming to understand how the world works.

If you read about Stella and Sam, feel free to stop back by and tell us which book from the series is your favorite. 🙂

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